Collingwood will be boosted by the return from injury of three experienced players for Saturday night's AFL clash with Sydney at ANZ Stadium.

Luke Ball (groin), Alan Didak (hip) and Ben Johnson (ankle) all missed the Queen's Birthday match against Melbourne, which ended in the season's first draw.

It was the first match missed this season for Ball and Didak, and the second for Johnson, who was also sidelined against St Kilda in round three by a knee injury.

All three are considered certain starters against the Swans.

But captain Nick Maxwell is unlikely to recover in time from a calf strain picked up against the Demons.

The defender would have to join the club's main training session on Wednesday to be a genuine chance of playing.

"We'll see how he comes up but if he gets up and trains, that would be a filip in terms of looking forward to playing," Magpies chief of football Geoff Walsh.

"It all hinges around whether he can train."

The match is significant, given both the Western Bulldogs and the Swans will be within two points of the fourth-placed Magpies if Sydney wins.

But a Collingwood victory would lift them to third spot, with a six-point buffer to their nearest rival outside the top four.

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